Groups versus individuals, partial lying, and social image concern in a dice-rolling experiment

Abstract

AbstractThis study compares the lying behavior of groups that consist of paired friends to that of individuals in a dice-rolling experiment. Both groups and individuals exhibit strong evidence of lying, but partial lying (not lying to the maximum extent possible) is more pronounced under group decisions. Furthermore, we estimate the preference parameter(s) of existing models for lying aversion. Groups are more sensitive than individuals to social image concerns of not being perceived as liars, and have a lower cost of lying than do individuals.